Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to a borescope that is capable of being held within the palm of one hand of a user.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a borescope having a casing, preferably a clam shell casing, that is capable of retaining and concealing within the casing, when not in use, a flexible tube or probe having a camera at one end for the inspection of structures not readily able to be directly inspected by a person's eyesight. The borescope of the present invention is able to be retained by a user in a single hand, preferably the user's palm, and readily activated for eventual use.
Description of the Prior Art
Borescopes are used in the mechanical arts generally, and particularly within the building trades, for permitting the inspection of narrow or relatively inaccessible spaces or cavities, in which the borescope has an optical device at the distal end of either a rigid or flexible probe for allowing the viewing of areas that are otherwise inaccessible without great inconvenience. With the borescopes known to the prior art, care must be taken to protect from damage the optical device, or miniature camera, located at the distal end of the probe when the borescope is not in use. Following use of conventional borescopes, the probe must be retracted and somehow stored in a manner which does not expose the optical device at the distal end of the probe to an unreasonable opportunity for damage.
Absent from the prior art is a borescope that can readily be held within a single hand of a user and which includes a flexible probe that is able to be safely and readily stored within the hand-held casing for the borescope when not in use, so as to protect from damage the optical means located at the distal end of the flexible probe.